5 Habits for Preventing Diabetes-Related Foot Problems

Living with type 1 or type 2 diabetes impacts your life in many ways. You may need to use a glucose monitor to check your blood sugar, take medications like insulin or metformin, or maintain a special diet. But, do you incorporate healthy diabetic foot care habits into your daily life? You should! Here’s why.

The disruption to your blood sugar levels caused by diabetes affects your whole body, from head to toe. Because your feet are located below your heart, problems related to your blood flow can become most severe in your lower extremities. 

People with diabetes risk diabetic peripheral neuropathy, loss of sensation in the feet, slow-healing wounds and ulcers, and infection. The worst-case scenario is that you lose one or both of your feet to amputation.

This doesn’t have to happen to you. Expert podiatrist Dr. Leonard Greenwald in San Jose, California, advises new and existing patients on healthy habits for diabetic foot care. Here are five habits those with diabetes should adopt right away.

1. Manage your blood sugar

Diabetes affects your body’s ability to either produce or use the hormone insulin. Ideally, insulin helps your cells access the energy in the sugars in your bloodstream. 

If this process isn’t working correctly in your body, your blood sugar (glucose) level can build up and become too high, creating problems with circulation and putting your foot health at risk. Keeping your diabetes under control with testing, medication, and lifestyle modifications protects you from complications, including foot problems.

2. Check your feet every day

Individuals with diabetes can develop a condition known as peripheral diabetic neuropathy caused by chronic high blood sugar. Those who suffer from neuropathy, or nerve damage, can’t fully feel sensation in their feet. 

You may not notice a cut, scrape, or injury when it happens. You can also burn your feet more easily, since you won’t feel too-hot temperatures and pull back from them.

If you can’t rely on your nerves to inform you about issues with your feet due to diabetic neuropathy, you need to take time to check your feet every day. Examine them one at a time, looking for signs of injury or trauma.

3. Clean your feet regularly

You can combine this step with your daily foot check or set aside a separate time for foot cleaning. Washing your feet carefully every day prevents infection from setting in. Because diabetes may cause wounds on your feet to heal slowly, you need to give your feet extra care in this way.

To avoid burns, use warm, not hot, water to clean your feet. Wash the tops and bottoms with soap, and make sure to clean between your toes. After rinsing, gently towel your feet dry. And, as soon as your feet have dried fully, get them back into protective socks and shoes.

4. Protect your feet with socks and shoes

Because your feet are vulnerable if you have diabetes, you should avoid going barefoot. Wear clean, well-fitting socks and shoes, even indoors. This way, you’re less likely to end up with unexpected foot injuries. Take care that your footwear doesn’t cause corns, calluses, or blisters.

5. Partner with a podiatrist for foot care

Diabetic foot care isn’t something you have to manage on your own. While your daily habits make a big difference in preventing diabetes-related foot problems, you should also schedule regular check-ins with a podiatrist like Dr. Greenwald. With the right medical support, you ensure that your feet remain as healthy as possible.

For personalized, compassionate, and knowledgeable diabetic foot care support, contact Dr. Greenwald online or over the phone today to schedule an appointment.